Utah senate orders internet porn switched off

THE UTAH SENATE has approved legislation that will force ISPs to ban certain web sites that are defined as
'harmful to children'.

Basically that includes any site that fits into a Utah senator's definition of pornography, which we understand is
quite wide.

To make matters worse, the law will force search engines and even email providers not to display porn or face
prosecution.

The law is being considered by the newly elected Republican governor Jon Huntsman. If it is approved, chances are it
will be immediately challenged under the US constitution.

Apparently the US founding fathers had a problem with people imposing the same strict censorship of the interweb as
enjoyed by China.

Supporters of the Utah bill, such as advocacy group Citizens Against Pornography, have called for this type of
censorship to "give parents more control of their home Internet connections". Surely 'more control' doesn't mean more
state control.

Installing web filters at home and packing their children off to bible class would be more useful than banning the
Interweb for the rest of the universe.

Understandably the law is not universally loved by the good people of Utah. According to the
Daily Herald editorial column, which slams the law for being against the first amendment,
here, "creating a registry of Utah-based adult sites will not stop anybody from accessing online
sex any more than standing chest deep in the Colorado River will stop its rush toward the Gulf of California. It's a
pointless exercise, however well meaning." And there's more,
here. µ